NPR reports on a new study by the Southern Poverty Law Center, which finds the number of hate groups in the US has topped 1000, for the first time. This is a sobering study (direct link), finding huge climbs in some sorts of hate groups (including a 60% rise in antigovenment “Patriot” groups), and listing known terrorist actions taken by some members of these groups.

As my silly little (?) verse indicates, I think a substantial part of this is simply that the internet makes it so much easier for the lone voice to join with other lone voices. It’s hard to escape noticing, though, that the leap in some sorts of hate groups corresponds with the election of a president of an unapproved skin color. I’d have written about that, but it was too depressing.

Oh, and if you are wondering… yes, the Nightmare Song, from Iolanthe. Not exactly, but inspired by.

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Most excellent, Cuttlefish! I found it especially compelling, given the context of recent events in the middle east. The internet seems to act at times like some kind of "social laser", it concentrates and aligns all the energy dumped into it, usually scorching the unfortunate target.

dc… we want you to know that no harm will come to you from us….we just wanted to give you a little fright, and I think we succeeded at that….we just wanted to show you the consequences of BLINDNESS TO REAL ISSUES….

Bullshit, DM. "We just wanted to give you a little fright" my ass. You have been doing this for a decade across different platforms (not just to me), attempting to disrupt, to annoy, to harass, and to intimidate. Your impotence is clear, and those of us who have put up with your ranting for a while are no more fearful of it than of any other internet basement bully."I think we succeeded at that". You're delusional. You have served merely as an illustration of the desperation of a believer–when you go on your spamming benders, our assumption is not that we must be afraid, bur rather that you are off your meds–and are, as the current verse indicates, an object of pity. Two clicks and your bile is in a spam filter, securely waiting, out of sight, but ready to be sent to your caseworker. "we just wanted to…" No you didn't. Stop lying. I have given you the opportunity to engage and interact. As before, I tell you now, simply apologize to my readers (whom you have insulted on many occasions) and post coherently, and I'll treat you like anyone else. Until then, you get the treatment you have earned."we want you to know that no harm will come to you from us". That was already crystal clear, given the number of times you told me you were going to torture and kill me "today", or that "today" would be the day my family dies, or that "today" I would know the true meaning of pain… DM, I feel perfectly safe from you. You are an annoyance, not a threat, and at this point you are mostly a clown to point at and laugh.Go back to your therapist. Get the help you need. Tell about making death threats. Quit lying–to us, to your therapist, to yourself.

Love the poem although I had to find the G&S theme myself for it to make sense. I love how it so clearly describes the childish minds behind the hate, but as you tell DM we cannot ignore these ranting hate groups just because they are so childish – sadly a child's rage can be so irrational as they decide to destroy – well anything they can – in order to vent.

Deliciously written as always, Cuttlefish. I read it out loud to myself to get the full effect of the meter.I particularly like the abruptness of the ending. It's so true; the more I read about these people the sorrier for them I feel, especially those like DM who are genuinely disturbed.